The Trouble with Amy...
by Talismon2k1
Summary: Amy is so hot for Sonic that she will do anything to get him. Will she actually catch the uncatchable Sonic, or will a long time admirer finally win her affection?
1. Love and Hate

**The Trouble with Amy…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. It is owned by Sega of America or Japan or wherever, and Sonic Team. Everyone look out for Sonic Adventure 2, in stores now!

**Love and Hate**

Amy Rose was in her bedroom at the Station Square Hotel, lazily daydreaming. The object of her dreams, the uncatchable, untouchable, unmatched, Sonic the Hedgehog. For the longest, he has been the object of her affections. When she met him for the first time, she was amazed and taken by the speed, charisma and personality of this navy blue blur. Never has she met such a wonderful hedgehog.

She sighed. "He's so dreamy…"

It was just a few days ago that Sonic saved her from Eggman's (Dr. Robotnik's) airship, the Egg Carrier. Sonic came to rescue her after all she's done. She always bugs him about having a girlfriend, emphasizing that she would be a good choice. Eggman jailed her and her bird friend up, but one of his robots, codenamed E-102g, let her free.When she was about to leave the ship, Eggman confronted her and took a hidden Chaos Emerald from her friend. Sonic then came and rescued her from him. But he had to fight the robot that saved her. Sonic won, but he stopped Sonic before destroying him.

"Sonic… my hero…"

But, then he sent her with Tails, off of the Egg Carrier. Sure, it was true that It was going to crash, but she wanted to go with him. So, that's were she was… she was in her hotel room in Station Square while Sonic was out on adventures again. Tails said he saw Sonic chasing Eggman into the Mystic Ruins, but wasn't sure. She wanted to help her bird friend find his family and get rid of the robot chasing them, all by herself. She wanted to do that to impress Sonic. Hopefully then, he would like her, but until he got back, all she could do was sit, daydream ad plan.

"A plan… that's it!" She jumped off the bed. I'll **make **him want me!"

It was simple… all she had to do was seduce him. If he wouldn't listen to her, then he'll just have to see what he was missing. That's what _she _thought anyway. Maybe her bird friend could help her too.

"I'll invite everyone to a party, and then me and Sonic can have some private time together. What do you think, birdie?"

Her bird friend looked at her funny, then chirped something.

"You think it won't work? Don't say that… I'm sure that he will like me. I know!" she said, jumping off the bed and scooping up the bird. "Let's go find them! Then we could invite them personally!"

The two friends headed out the door.

***

Just then, Sonic met up with his best friend after throwing Eggman a beating he wouldn't forget. Tails go to him first, chasing him around the Speed Highway, finally fighting him in front of the Casino (Casinopolis). It didn't take too long for Tails to catch him and defeat him before he ran off. That's when Sonic found him heading for his secret base in the Mystic Ruins. After being transported to the strange shrine where he met Tikal, Eggman was flying overhead and Sonic chased him to his base. Eggman, having reached there first, put his troops on red alert for the blue intruder.

**~*Flashback*~**

Sonic easily blasted through the laser fences, destroyed the guard bots and blasted through the rotating floors. He quickly descended down the turbine shaft by darting from panel to panel, pouncing helibots that got in the way. He swiftly made it to the lower level to be faced with an emergency alert and to be surrounded by ground troops. Not even dithered by the numbers against him, Sonic made for a quick light speed attack and drastically reduced their numbers… make that eliminated. He dodged the spiked flooring and made it through the first of the fan rooms until he met another batch of ground troops. Not wanting to wait any longer, he dashed at light speed to the speed panel on the far side of the room. More fan rooms and bots and a final batch of ground troops frustrated Sonic enough to release the Gold in him (Golden Sonic) and vapourized the enemies. He returned to normal and blazed out of the room to the final drop shaft. He jumped and collected some rings, avoiding the spiked balls and sped through the remaining bots and obstacles, and finally met up with a waiting Eggman.

"Well, if it isn't my pal, Sonic," Eggman said flatly. "I'm surprised that you mad it this far." He then retreated into his mech suit and proceeded to fly up the shaft with it, tearing up the walls in the process.

"Hold it right there, Eggman!" Sonic grabbed onto a conveniently placed rocked booster and chased Eggman to the top level.

**~*End Flashback*~ **

Amy, who found the two friends conversing, snuck up on them from behind and was listening to Sonics adventure, standing there in a dream-like state, relishing his words, not even noticing when the two were calling to her. She was woken be two hands on her shoulders shaking her lightly.

"Amy? Amy! Are you okay?"

"Sure, Sonic, I'm fine." Then Amy, realizing whom she was talking to, nearly fainted as she threw her arms around his neck, drawing him close. "Sonic! You came to rescue me! My hero…!" She planted a big kiss on him, smooching his lips, causing him to blush and pull away kind of quick.

"Amy…!"

Amy pulled away and giggled as she hugged her hips and blushed. "Sorry, Sonic…" Tails looked at the two funny, but then shook it off. "So what clunker did Eggman have against you this time? And, how did ya beat it?"

"Well, it was some kind of snake looking thing with a laser cannon that he kept trying to fry me with. And, I was fighting on some kind of sky panel flooring thingies. Anyway, I just went to the heart of the problem; basically, I aimed form him until he and his snake suit couldn't take anymore."

"Wow… that's amazing, Sonic!"

"Nah… it was nothing," he replied, brushing her off.

"Well," Tails started, "when I faced Eggman, he was in this walking suit thing and tried to stomp on me, but I pretty much did the same thing as you, Sonic. When I toppled him, I aimed directly for Eggman too."

"That's cool, Tails," Amy interrupted. "I hope you're okay, though."

"I'm fine…" Tails grumbled, rather indignantly.

"Anyways… I came over here to invite you guys to my party. I'm going to have it in the hotel's reception room."

"Coolness! What's the party for?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, um… I don't know… for running Eggman our of Station Square… or something…"

"Sounds good to me! What do you think, Tails?"

Tails suddenly didn't feel up to partying anymore. But, he would go along anyway. "It sounds nice… I guess we could invite Knuckles and the crew too…"

_Knuckles…?_ Amy thought. She didn't like the sound of that… For some reason, Knuckles didn't like her too much. There were a few reasons that could be possible. The number one would be how she used the power of a Chaos Emerald, in Knothole Village, without permission. Originally, she wished the Emerald to make her older so she could go on adventures with Sonic, but he still wouldn't let her go. However, ever since he saved her from harm the first time, she wondered if she really wished to be older just so she could **be** with him. Another possible reason could be the way she acts around him.

Amy wondered, _Maybe my obsession with Sonic is making them sick…if so, the why is it only Knuckles acting so weird? Or have I been so naïve as to not notice anyone else's behavior? Does that mean that everyone else hates me too? _Suddenly, Amy didn't feel like partying much either… "Knuckles…? Yeah… I guess we could invite him…"

Sonic looked at her funny. "Sure! Let's go!" He turned towards the hotel and started to run.

While on their way to the hotel, Tails caught up with Amy and stopped her. "Amy? Did you get in another fight with Knux again?"

She lowered her had and sadly nodded. Tails was the only person other than Knuckles himself that knew of the conflict between them. She never even thought of telling Sonic herself in fear of it ruining any chances she might have had with him.

"Yeah… I wanted to ask him what was wrong with me, but instead, he yelled at me… Oh, Tails… I don't know what he wants or what I should do…"

"Hmm…" Tails mused. "Maybe I could get Sonic to talk to him…"

Amy's eyes brightened. "Would you? Oh, Tails… you're the greatest!" She gave him a big hug and ran in the direction of the hotel.

Tails smiled after her. _Looks like some progress might be made after all…_

***

Amy was back at the hotel with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. She was up in her hotel room while the others three were in the reception hall, listening to music and getting the place ready. She was going through her clothes for some thing sure to catch his attention. So far, her bird friend didn't like any of them. She had to wonder if he wanted to help her at all. What she didn't think about was the fact that he might be helping her suffer from heartache. So, she decided to stay with her bed mini-dress. She did, however, choose a set of lingerie for when she invited him up to her room for later. She then headed back down to the hall.

When she got there, the guests hadn't arrived yet. Sonic was with Knuckles in the corner talking while Tails was tuning up the deejay equipment.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted cheerfully.

She was met with the same type of greeting, mixed in with grumbles from Knuckles, which she frowned at. They continued to wait for the crowd until Amy pulled Tails off to the side.

"Has Sonic talked to Knuckles about me yet?" she asked impatiently.

"No… not yet. But, it looks as if they might be right now." Their conversation was cut short by a knock on the door. "They're here!" Tails ran to the door to let the guests in. "Hey, guys!"

The crowd greeted him as he let them in. Amy approached cautiously and stood a little behind Tails while he introduced them.

"Amy? Meet Rotor. He's the mechanic for the Freedom Fighters."

"Hello." Rotor was a large walrus that wore his baseball cap backwards. He also brought his tools on a work belt he was wearing. She greeted him.

"This is Bunny Rabbot."

"Howdy." Bunny was… well, a bunny. She was half metal though.

"Bunny wa almost roboticized a whiles back," Tails informed her. "We were able to save her on time."

"That's why ah'm all shiny and such." Amy smiled and greeted her.

"This is Hershey." Tails motioned his hand towards a feline figure. She was black and white in colour and wearing some kind of green work dress. "Hershey works as security at Castle Acorn."

"How do you do?" Amy greeted her.

"And last, but not least, this is Sally. Sally lives in Castle Acorn. She is the Princess. Amy gasped.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No…" Amy stuttered, curtseying, "the pleasure is all mine." Although Sally was not dressed like a princess, donning a blue jean jacket, Amy found it necessary to pay her respects.

"That is not necessary, Amy," Sally told her. "We are all friends here."

Amy stood up. "You have quite the team, princess."

"Please… call me Sally. And right now, Antoine should be on his way. He is also part of the Freedom Fighters. Sadly, we have one who cannot join us. Lupe was captured and roboticized a while back by Dr. Robotnik. She is still in his possession."

"I'm so sorry…" Amy started.

"Don't be," Knuckles interrupted. "She fought nobly 'til the end."

She turned to Knuckles while the rest got uneasy. "But, couldn't she escape?"

"Don't you think she would have tried?" he answered coldly. "Eggman's programming stopped her from getting too far from him!"

"Couldn't you rescue her or something?" Amy retorted, sounding a bit frantic.

"We have tried on numerous accounts to free her," Sally stepped in, "but Dr. Robotnik's defense systems were too much for us. We couldn't get her free."

"How could we," Knuckles continued, "when you always have Sonic rescuing you?"

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked, starting to get angry with him.

Don't play innocent with me, Amy. You've been after Sonic for the longest now!"

"Knuckles? What's wrong with you?" Bunny asked. "Take it easy on the girl! We know you don't like all that much, but she's the host of this party!"

"Why should I, Bunny?" Knuckles retaliated, turning to her. "Ever since Amy's been around, there has been nothing but trouble! And her going after Sonic constantly is just going to get her in more trouble that we have to rescue her from!"

"It's not true!" Amy screamed at him.

"Is it? Who got captured at Twinkle Park just because she wanted to go some place with Sonic? Yeah, I thought it was you too. And who used the powers of the Chaos Emeralds just so she could grow old enough to try and go out with Sonic? Uh huh… that was you too. Well, here's a news flash for you Amy… Sonic's taken! He's going out with Princess Sally and there's nothing you can do about it! So, take you're trouble making elsewhere!"

"It's… not…" Amy couldn't finish, tears forming in her eyes.

Sally went up to Knuckles and crossed her arms. "Knuckles! That was totally uncalled for!"

"Yeah!" Hershey joined in, getting in Knuckles face. "Where do you get off telling Amy things like that?"

"I told her because it was the truth," he replied plainly.

Amy, who was speechless and frozen, started to cry. She unfroze herself and ran out of the reception hall and the hotel. In a way Knuckles was right. If it wasn't for her running into Twinkle Park without Sonic, he wouldn't have to come looking for her and rescuer, and maybe he could have used the time to rescue Lupe instead, Maybe it was better off if she just left. They could do a whole lot better without her. She continued to run through the streets as her bird friend tried franticly to catch up with her.

"Amy!" Tails called from the window.

"Let her go," Knuckles bit bitterly. "We're better off without her."

Tails jumped away from the window and advanced on Knuckles. "What's your problem!?"

Bunny stood in front of Tails and held him back. "Hold it, Tails… don't cause a scene. Go and see if you can find her."

Tails growled at him and flew out the window. "Some friend you are, Knuckles…"

Hershey walked up and smacked Knuckles upside the head, him being taken totally off guard. "What's wrong with you, mister! Why did you blow her off like that? She's going to get into trouble out there and you know it!"

"Which is exactly my point."

"Screw you and your points, Knuckles! Robotnik is still out there! She could be in danger!"

"Zero is probably still out there looking for her too!" Sonic ranted, clearly irritated.

"Count me out. I've had enough of her."

"Knuckles!" Sonic balled his fists as a faint golden aura started to form around him.

"Don't worry, Sonic," Sally interrupted." Knuckles and me are going to have a little talk. Go and find Amy and bring her back."

Sonic nodded and blazed through and out of the hotel.

***

Amy collapsed along the outskirts of Station Square. She hadn't run as fast as before, so as to let her feathered friend catch up with her. "Why does he have to be so mean birdie? Now nobody likes me… Knuckles hates me and so does Sonic…" She continued to cry before hearing someone call for her.

"Amy!"

"It's Tails…" she sniffled, "but I don't wanna talk now… not anymore…"

Wiping her eyes, she got back up and continued to run out of the city… until she ran into something hard and metallic, making her tumble backwards to the floor.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head and looking up. She saw a face that she thought she would never have to face again. She gasps. "Oh no! Not you! Tails! Sonic! Help me!"

**Chibi-Akuji: Hey! How's this story sounding? This is the first Sonic the Hedgehog story I ever wrote. Seeing as how I'm getting Sonic Adventure 2 today, I wanted to throw in a story from first game before I played it (or at least started one). R & R and tell me what you think. Be seeing ya!**


	2. Revelations

**The Trouble with Amy…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. He, and the other characters, belongs to Sega Corporation and Sonic Team.

**Chibi-Akuji: As you can see, this story is rated "R" and if you read Hershey's flashback at the end, you will find out one reason why. Bold writing means an author's note and italics means training of thought. Enjoy!**

** **

**Revelations**

Tails was frantically flying over the city, looking for a distraught pink furred hedgehog, a hedgehog that was once love struck but is now a heartbroken hedgehog, courtesy of a certain echidna's ignorance. Knuckles had just dropped the bomb on Amy telling her that Sonic was going out with Sally. For what reason Knuckles blew Amy off like that was beyond him; it would have been easier if it was Sonic who told her, but it didn't look like he cared at the moment; in fact, it didn't look like he cared at all. She then ran off and that's why he was out looking for her. He was about to take it to Knux, but Princess Sally stopped him and sent him after Amy. No matter… he will settle things with Knuckles later. Right now he just spotted a blue streak traveling below him, who he has come to know as Sonic, the fastest hedgehog alive.

"Hey, Tails!"

"Sonic!" Tails called, flying lower. "Did you see anything?"

Sonic shook his head. "Nothing yet, bud. But we'll find her."

"I hope so…" Tails sighed. "I can't believe Knuckles blew her off like that! He should know how sensitive Amy could be sometimes!"

Sonic got an indignant look, then a mischievous grin. "Tails… you wouldn't be falling for Amy now, would ya??

"No…! Of course not…!" Tails blinked, starting to blush. "What makes you say that…?"

"Hmm… no reason," Sonic smiled. "Anyway, I agree with you about Knux. Something's wrong with him, but don't worry, bud. If anyone can find it out its Sal and Hershey."

***

The beach, the perfect place to spend a day like this. One lays on a private beach provided another hotel in Station Square. It was not as crowded as the city's main hotel, but just as classy, which is why this hedgehog was here and not at the main hotel. Personal service on the beach shores was the other reason. The hedgehog kicked back on his beach chair, under the umbrella and removed his blue and white high tops.

"Excuse me, kind sir," he said of the approaching waiter. "Would you be so kind as to bring me a drink?"

"Yes, sir," the waiter replied.

"Please… call me Aqua."

"Yes, Mr. Aqua." Aqua sighed; there was no use. "What drink may I bring you, Mr. Aqua?"

"Let me get a Barq's. I feel like a little somethin' with bite."

"Yes, sir. And, if you don't mind my asking, you do look similar to a well know person around here… would you be related to Sonic?"

Aqua thought for a second. "Sonic who?" Then his eyes brightened. "You mean Sonic the Hedgehog? He's here? Kewl! Unfortunately, no… I'm not related to him, and I can't even come close to matching **his** speed… I'd like to meet him though…"

The waiter took a break to bring the drink and then they talked some more. They talked about Sonic, all he did for the people of Station Square, how grateful they were for him, and how much they owed to him. They continued to talk until they heard someone crying for help.

"What was that?" the waiter asked, a bit shaken.

"Sounded like someone is in trouble. I better go check it out." He was about to run off when… "Um… could you keep that cold for me…?"

"Of course, Mr. Aqua."

"Thanks!" he called, blazing off.

***

Amy stood frozen in place. She was faced with someone worse than Eggman himself. It was the robot that had been chasing her before she was captured. And, now he was back, no doubt to chase her again. She bolted to the side as the robot, codename: Zero, bent down to grab her; he miss her but her bird friend wasn't so lucky.

"Put him down, you creep!" Amy took out her hammer and gave the robot a big wallop, however only toppled him to the ground. Zero released the bird as he fell, letting him fly back to her.

Zero, angry, overheating, and malfunctioning, stood up and threw a blind punch, hitting Amy squarely and sending her flying. Zero was obviously malfunctioning; Eggman had already captured her and gotten the Chaos Emerald.

_ So why is he chasing me still?_ she thought before getting hit.

Zero hovered over Amy as she struggled to get up. Being unable to, she tried to drag herself along the ground to get away. Zero simply picked her up by the midsection and squeezed her to keep her from escaping once again. Obviously heading back to Eggman's headquarters, the robot started from the spot of his ambush until something attacked the arm he was carrying his prisoner in, momentarily seizing it up and dropping the pink furred hedgehog, whom of which was saved from hitting the floor by the fast actions of a blue streak. The source of the blue streak stopped in front of Zero, who did a scan of him and calculations in his head; this hedgehog didn't match up to the speedy hedgehog called Sonic that he encountered a few days ago, but still looked similar to him. He was smaller than Sonic, slightly bigger than Amy, and his fur was a shade of aqua (turquoise) and he had greenish eyes, wearing blue and white shoes.

Amy, who the hedgehog down on the ground, was able to find the strength to turn over and find out whom her rescuer was. "S-Sonic…? I-is that you…?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," he said, "but I'm not Sonic. I am Aqua. Pleased to meet ya."

"Look out!"

Aqua turned around in time to see a robotic fist flying at him, which he easily dodged. He also pledged his attack; he ran towards the robot, jumping in the air. He homed in on Zero and attack, only to painfully bounce off of it.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW! This one isn't as clunky as it looks… let's juice!"

**Chibi-Sonic: Hey! That's my line…**

**Chibi-Aqua: [smugly] Get over it.**

Aqua picked up Amy who was holding her bird friend, and blazed away from Zero, who was way too slow to even think of catching up.

***

Sally sat down across from an indignant Knuckles, sipping a cup of tea that was prepared for her by Hershey. Hershey was standing to her right. Sally sat there drinking patiently while Hershey looked as if she was restraining herself from wrapping her claws around his neck. Sally finally spoke.

"So Knuckles… would you care to explain to us what just happened?"

"Not really, no," he replied smugly. Sally stared at him. "What." She was still looking at him. "Oh, all right…"

"Now, what's going on?" Hershey hissed, advancing, only to be waved back by the princess.

"It's Amy… I can't stand the way she acts around Sonic."

"All of us doesn't like the way she acts around him, Knuckles," Sally told him quietly. "But why did you blow her off like that? It's like you took it up to the next level… why can't you leave her be?"

"Because I had a crush on her!" he blurted out loudly.Both Sally and Hershey were taken back, looking at each other, then back at Knuckles. "Yeah, it's true… I used to like Amy. This was ever since she used the power of a Chaos Emerald to get older. But she was always running after Sonic and worshipping the ground under his feet and didn't care about anyone else. At first I was mad with Sonic because of the attention she was giving him, but then I couldn't stay mad with him because he didn't do anything; also, he was oblivious to her feelings and wasn't interested in her. So I just grew farther apart from her than I already was."

"If this is true… why didn't you just tell her your feelings, Knux?" Hershey said a lot more softly, feeling compassion for him. "That would have to at least stand for something…"

"It doesn't matter now!" Knuckles said, getting cold again. "I've already found myself someone."

"What? Who?"

"That's for me to know and you not to, Hershey!"

"But how can you just deny your love like that?" she complained, getting irritated.

Knuckles flashed her a look, making her step back. "Like you're a fine one to talk! What about you and St. Geoffrey? He loves you off and you avoid him! He wants your body and you won't even give him a piece!"

Hershey hung her head down. "It's not like that… it's not the same…"

"It's exactly the same! Geoffrey likes you and you don't like him, just like Amy and me! Don't tell me it's not the same."

Hershey turned away wiping tears.

"That's enough, Knuckles," Sally interrupted, eying Hershey suspiciously. "Could you at least **try **to be nicer to Amy?"

"No guarantees," Knuckles replied, crossing his arms.

Sally just sighed and shook her head. "C'mon, Hershey… let's try and find Amy."

***

Tails was now walking next to Sonic after searching up and down for Amy who seems to have mysteriously disappeared.

"Gee… I hope Amy is all right…"

"Me too, but there's something else I was thinking about."

"You mean that new hedgehog that blazed past us?" Tails asked.

"Yeah. I want to know where he came from and what he's doing here."

"Well it doesn't look like he's here for trouble… usually when they're here for trouble, they attack us, so maybe that's a good thing…?"

Sonic scratched his chin before starting to run again. "Maybe."

***

"Ready, Hershey?" Sally called to her from the hotel.

"Just about, princess…" she replied, sighing.

Hershey was taking to heart what Knuckles had just told her. He said that she should go out with St. Geoffrey; like she told him he should go out with Amy. But she couldn't go out with him… she couldn't even face him… he had betrayed her trust.

**~*Flashback*~**

St. Geoffrey was heading the security team in plans to defend the Sword of Acorns from Kodos, Arachnis and anyone else who wished to steal it for its power. Sally's father, the king, became paralyzed after fighting without it some time ago. As a result, his son, Sally's brother, Elias, was put on the throne to be the capable king of the land. Also, St. Geoffrey was assigned as his vizier to guide him and his decisions. St. Geoffrey was the head of security, and used his authority when necessary… and unnecessary…

They had just finished having a meeting and Hershey was cleaning up the meeting room, as it was her turn to do so. Everyone else had gone to their quarters and elsewhere and were nowhere near where se was… all except one. Geoffrey had been standing by the door watching the Oreo coloured vixen while she worked. She cleaned briskly, humming to herself, her tail dancing up high swaying back and forth, sometimes revealing what it was that Geoffrey lusted for. He walked over and stood menacingly over her petite frame, startling her.

"St. Geoffrey!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Hershey… I wanted to show you something I've meant to show you a long time ago."

Hershey was taken back. Her eyes shimmered as her mind raced with anticipation. _Has he come to as what I think he's going to ask?_ she thought to her self. _Is he finally going to ask me out? _"What is it?" she asked, almost breathlessly, searching his eyes.

"This…"

Without warning, he planted a kiss on Hershey, who hadn't been expecting it, and she let loose. She **did** have her eye on Geoffrey for a while; she wasn't sure if she should pursue him or not. Now he was there, doing this. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he put his around her hips, drawing him into a deeper kiss. She played with his silvery white locks as she started to feel weak in the knees; Geoffrey sensed this and supported her weight in his arms. She pushed her body against him wanting to feel his warmth. She was enjoying the back massage she was receiving from him… until he did something unexpected. His hand wandered from her back to her tummy and started to slip under her tunic, which she wasn't exactly ready for yet. She broke their kiss. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, locking eyes. 

"Showing you what I wanted to show you." 

Hershey gasped as his hand slipped all the way under her tunic; at that point she tried to push him away, but he just pulled her in closer. He didn't stop massaging his hands and she didn't like it. 

"Stop it, Geoffrey!" 

"You cannot stop me, Hershey," he replied coldly.  "I am your superior and you shall do what I say. If you do not, then I can have you thrown from the castle!" 

"Let go of me!" 

She started to fight with him until he shoved her into the table, making her fall to the floor. 

**~*End Flashback*~**

At that point, Geoffrey had ripped off her tunic, and… she didn't want to think about it anymore… St. Geoffrey… her superior, and the only one she trusted in that aspect, had broken her trust… how could Knuckles tell her what he did, then? How could he tell her to go out with that monster? Of course, she hadn't told him, Sally or anyone else about what happened, in fear of being exiled by Geoffrey. She continued to scold herself for even bringing up the subject when Sally undetectably came up from behind, to find her in tears. 

"Hershey… what's wrong?" 

Hershey jumped at the princess' voice. "Princess Sally…! N-nothing's wrong…" she lied, drying her eyes quickly. 

Sally looked at her straight. "Hershey… don't tell me that. I come over here and find you in tears. Something's obviously wrong, so tell me what it is." 

Hershey's eyes started watering again. "Oh, princess… I don't know if I can…" 

"Come. We'll go back to the hotel and you can tell me all about it." 

"Okay…" Hershey replied quietly, resting her arms at her side and looking at the floor, as Sally threw an arm over her shoulders. They started to head back to the hotel.

*** 

Knuckles arrived at his destination to be greeted by two arms hugging him around from behind. He turned around to find the girl his affections had been given to. She looked at him seductively and lovingly. 

"So… have they figured me out yet?" she asked, caressing Knuckles neck. 

"They tried to," he replied, irritation apparent in his voice, "but they have to do better than that to get information out of me." 

"I'm glad," she kissed him. "That was **one of the reasons I love you so much." **

"Really?" he asked teasingly. "What was the other reason?" 

"Like you have to ask," she giggled. "Let me show you…" 

The girl led him to her bedroom. 

*** 

Aqua had been running with Amy in his arms for a while. He had long escaped Zero's long-range sensors, but he wanted to make sure they were safe. He finally stopped letting Amy and her friend down. She dusted herself off as her friend flew above her head and her rescuer stood guard. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, turning to her. 

"Yes… thanks to you…" she replied, slightly blushing. "Funny… you look exactly like Sonic, except a different colour…" 

"So I've heard," he said smiling at her. His smile faded as he saw a dust cloud racing in their direction. "Someone's coming!" 

Amy looked in the direction and instantly knew who it was. "It's Sonic!" 

"Then that's my cue to shoo." 

"Aww… can't you stay longer…?" 

"I'd love to but duty calls." 

Aqua bowed to her and blazed out of sight, leaving Amy staring in his direction in a dreamy state. Just then Sonic and Tails arrived and she was met with a million questions. 

"Amy! Are you all right?" Tails shot. 

"Yes…" she replied, airily. 

"What happened?" Sonic asked. 

"Zero that robot tried to get me again, but some strange hedgehog saved me…" Sonic and Tails looked at each other as she sighed. "He's my hero…" 

**Chibi-Akuji: Hey! How's my story going? Did ya like this chapter? As you can see, I don't like St. Geoffrey very much, and he has something coming to him [evil grin]. Anyway… I believe that Hershey could do a lot better than him, and deserves better too. Will she get someone to treat her proper? Will Amy get this new hedgehog? Who is Knuckles mysterious lover? Gotta keep reading to find out. [giggles] Be seeing ya! **


	3. Trouble!

The Trouble with Amy

**The Trouble with Amy…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, the movie, or anything else that may be related. Sonic, Sega, and all related material, belong to Sega Corporation.

**Trouble! **

Hershey was lying on the bed, bawling her eyes out. The sheets surrounded her, as she no doubt soaked a portion of them. She was face down, hiding in her arms. Princess Sally sat next to her, consoling her and rubbing her back to calm her down. Both were not working, as Hershey was truly upset. She had been holding out for so long that it must had been absolutely terrible to tell Sally all she told her. After an extensive back rub and lots of consoling, Hershey finally stopped crying and was not as upset as she was before.

"I'm sorry, princess…" Hershey sniffled, wiping her reddened eyes. "I didn't mean to bring all this to you… not now…"

"Nonsense!" Sally interrupted. "This is serious! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Hershey shrugged. "I wasn't comfortable telling anyone… you're the first person I've told…"

"When did this happen?"

"Ever since the guarding of the Sword of Acorns…"

"Hershey…! You should have told me," the princess said sternly.

Hershey looked at the ground. "That wasn't the only time it happened…" she said quietly.

"What?" the princess said shocked. "How long has this been going on?"

"He's been… continuing on like this almost regularly to this day… I'm sure that if I go back to the castle today he'll want to go at it…"

"Well, it's not going to happen!" Sally stated, standing up. "We'll go to the palace and talk to Elias about it right now! We **will **put a stop to this!"

"Okay…"

***

A small circle of friends made it back to the hotel they were residing in. The two boys of the group were looking for the girl who had run off, a result of her emotions. While away she ran into the clunker that was captured her before at Twinkle Park. There was a brief fight, which she was not prepared for in her state, and was downed easily. The robot then grabbed her and was ready to make way before she was saved by some strange aqua furred hedgehog, calling himself Aqua. When the two found her, he left. Having too much of a head start, they headed back to the hotel instead of catching up with him, to let Sally know that they had found her. But they would not forget this "lone hedgehog"; little would they know that their paths would cross again…

"Sally?" Sonic called, walking into the hotel room. "Sal! Are ya here? We found Amy! She's back! Sally!"

"It looks like she isn't here," Amy said, walking in and looking around. "I wonder where she went?"

"I wonder if she went somewhere with Knuckles," Tails started, anger flashing over him slightly.

"Or after him. He could've ran away from Sal and Hershey, and they went after them."

"What about Eggman?" Amy asked. "What if he has them?"

"Maybe," Sonic replied. "But I don't think that Eggman would try anything so early after we beat him."

"I would think that they just went back to the palace," Tails offered. "We should go check there."

"Sounds good to me," Sonic enthused. "Let's go!"

_ Hmm…_ Amy thought. _What if…?_

Amy knew that probably shouldn't do what she was about to do, now that he was going out with the princess, but she couldn't help it… she was still so hot for Sonic that she would still try to get him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, stumbling to the floor.

"Amy! Are you all right?" Sonic asked, him and Tails rushing to her side.

"I think so… I think I twisted my ankle…"

"Can you walk?" Tails asked.

"I'm not sure…" Amy stood up and gingerly stepped on her "injured" ankle, stumbling again. They helped her stand. "I guess not…"

"I guess we'll have to leave you here." Sonic concluded.

"But, I wanna come…" Amy whined.

"Okay, Tails will carry you," Sonic mused, smiling cunningly.

"What?!" Tails exclaimed, blushing a cherry colour. He obviously remembered about earlier.

"Tails…?" Amy said, dejectedly.

"Fine. I'll carry you. Besides we'll cover more ground like that."

Amy beamed with happiness as she bounded into Sonic's arms and looked up at him dreamily. Sonic looked at her strange.

"Um… right…"

"Lets go!" Amy cheered.

An upset, two tailed fox followed a little ways behind.

***

The Castle Acorn. No other castle in the land compares to its splendor. With its antique designing and modern feel and trends, it is easily deemed to be the most magnificent in the land. But with a magnificent castle usually comes a magnificent leader; this time is no exception. Amidst the walls of Acorn, Prince Elias sits on the throne planning the occurrences of the day. His vizier wasn't too far away, gathering paperwork in the next room. All was quiet in the castle until two vixens stormed into the throne room. Prince Elias stood at the approach of his sister and her armament, who both looked in a rather foul mood. Geoffrey looked up from his work to observe the disturbance and licked his lips when he saw Hershey standing there.

"Brother!" Sally exclaimed. "We have to talk."

"About what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About St. Geoffrey."

_ Uh oh… _Geoffrey thought to himself. He stealthily made a hasty retreat, knowing what they were going to talk about.

"Come. Let us talk in private."

Sally eyed Hershey cautiously, who returned a smile for good luck.

***

Sonic and company were still quite a long way from the palace, but it was in sight. So was a stream of dust also heading that direction, which just made it there.

"Hmm… I wonder if that's that hedgehog that Amy saw…" Tails pondered.

"It could be," Sonic added. "But, what would he want at the castle?"

***

Hershey wondered out of the room and walked into Sally's private garden, walking among the hibiscus and snapdragons. At the moment, she was carefree because something was finally going to be done about Geoffrey and his "tendencies" and she wouldn't have put up with it and be used as a toy anymore. She took off her gloves so she could take a flower in her paw. She remained in her relaxed state until she felt a nudge from behind. She turned around and anger instantly flashed over her.

"Geoffrey! What do you want?"

"You know what I want Hershey, and I plan on getting it." He sneered.

"Forget it! I told Sally all about you! She's going to tell Elias about what you did to me, and we'll see how quick you're kicked out of this castle!"

It was Geoffrey's turn to be angry. He rushed Hershey and shoved her to the ground. Before she could recover from that, he was on beside, her grabbing a hold of her collar and twisting it in his fist.

"Let go, Geoffrey! It's over! You're about to be exposed by Sally! I'm not your sex toy anymore!"

"You're an idiot! Elias is not going to believe you or that silly girl and I will still be around to do whatever I please! I promised to get my fill and I plan to keep that promise!"

Hershey's anger turned to fear as he took hold of her tunic. Unknown to both of them was a set of emerald eyes watching from a perch. Geoffrey continued to pull at Hershey's shirt until…

"Yo, Geoffrey!"

"Huh?" he said looking around. "Who's there?"

Geoffrey still had Hershey's shirt twisted in his fist, which was tightening around her neck before he saw who called out his name, whom happened to be flying at him from above. His grip was lost as he received a kick to his chest sending him rolling quite a few times, up into a wall. Geoffrey shook the rocks out and looked on his attacker. It was a hedgehog that looked similar to the one he despised except his fur was aquamarine in colour and had blue shoes instead of red ones.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Aqua, hedgehog from the east." The hedgehog jumped forward and positioned himself between Geoffrey and Hershey. He turned to the feline. "Are you all right, miss…?"

"Hershey. Yes, I'm fine," she replied, holding her now free neck.

Aqua turned back to Geoffrey, who had clenched teeth. "Now, just what were you planning to do to Cookies 'n' Cream here, skunk boy?"

"That is none of your business!" he screamed back. "Guards! Guards!"

Aqua frowned. _Damn! I didn't even get to see the princess yet. I have progress on Rouge's whereabouts and this fool is keeping me from sending it to her. I'll have to come back later… _

Aqua spin dashed and took off, bouncing off the castles walls, heading back up the way he came. While Geoffrey was screaming after him, Hershey took the opportunity to escape the garden, leaving Geoffrey by himself.

***

"There goes that hedgehog again!" Tails observed.

"Geez… he must sure be in a hurry…" Amy wondered.

"Worry about him later. We have to find Sal!" Sonic reasoned, concentrating on his speed.

***

In a private cave, clothes are scattered everywhere and sheets are tossed. Sensual scents fill the air as two lay together after enjoying themselves. Knuckles lay beside his companion who embraced him lovingly. Other than him, his companion had a very busy life; he was her passion. If it weren't for the fact that she loved him with all her heart, she would probably be doing her next passion, her work. Before returning to her, Knuckles was in a bad mood because of something that happened earlier, but he didn't tell her. So she thought that showing him just how much and why she loved him would make him tell her; it looked like it was working. The green-eyed vixen caressed his chest as she spoke.

"Now do you know why I love you so much?"

"Yes…" he told her, catching his breath. "You showed me perfectly."

"So what happened earlier to get you all upset?"

Knuckles frowned. "The princess and her pet lectured me for blowing off Amy."

"Who's Amy? And why did you blow her off?"

"She's someone we know. I got mad at her because I hate the way she keeps chasing after Sonic like he's her boyfriend or something."

"Hmm… sounds like your jealous."

"Why should I be? Sonic is my best friend."

She grinned. "Sure. So, what did the princess say then?"

"She wants me to apologize to her and try and get along with her."

"Sounds logical." Knuckles smirked. She got out of the bed, stepping over her clothes, and headed to a table set up with various fruits. "Do you want some fruit?"

Before Knuckles could answer, something flew into the cave and stopped in a cloud of dust. When a figure could be seen standing in the settling dust, Knuckles companion scrambled for cover. She grabbed the sheets that Knuckles was still wrapped in whom, being caught off guard, fell to the floor. The dust cleared and they saw who was intruding on them.

"Sonic?" Knuckles shot. "What are you doing here? Haven't you heard of privacy?"

"I am not the one called Sonic. My name is Aqua. And I have come to arrest Rouge the bat, jewel aficionado, for stealing a Chaos Emerald!"

"What?!" Knuckles exclaimed, looking at the scantily wrapped white-furred bat named Rouge.

***

"Finally!" Sonic exclaimed, screeching to a stop inside the throne room of the Castle Acorn. He looked around expecting to find his friend for life, Sally. Instead, all he found was emptiness; the throne room was completely abandoned. "Sal? Sal!" he frowned. "Where is she?"

"Maybe she's talking to her brother," Tails suggested.

"Maybe. But where did they go off to? I have to talk to her."

Just then a very ruffled looking Hershey hastily wandered in, looking disturbed. She wasn't wearing her gloves and her tunic was only half done up and all wrinkled. While rushing through the room, she happened to look up and was surprised to see the trio standing there, looking at her in a similar fashion. She skidded to a stop almost falling over while Sonic approached her.

"S-Sonic…!" She stuttered.

"Hershey… are you all right? You don't look like yourself. Is there something wrong?"

"N-no… nothings wrong…" she told him, looking at the ground and trying to sneak away.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow. Something was going on and she knew it.

"No… really… it's just that… I… um… I'm sorry… I really need to go now…" she hesitated, rushing to the ladies room.

Sonic watched her hurry away and shook his head. "Strange girl," he said. Sonic then observed Amy following her to the girls' room. "Where ya going?"

"I'm going to find out what's bothering Hershey."

***

"Rouge the Bat, you are under arrest for the theft of the seventh Chaos Emerald."

The aqua coloured hedgehog stood in front of the two, authoritatively pointing his finger in the batgirl's direction. The echidna was looking at her with a whole new perspective. He had trusted her to be around the Master Emerald, and even trusted her with his feeling for her, feelings that had been held for only one other, who denied them. And now seeing that she had stolen the final Chaos Emerald, it was possible, and he would believe, that she had taken some pieces of the now shattered Master Emerald. Basically, his love life was pretty much shattered.

"Rouge! Is this true?" Knuckles asked in an accusing voice. He seemed to be taking it bad.

"It's… it's not what you think…" she pleaded, running over to him in the sheets.

"You know what I think…" he shot back, turning his back on her, "I think that you stole the remaining pieces of the Master Emerald, and you're just playing with my emotions just so you can get me to forget about them!"

"Knuckles… it's not like that… you're wrong…!"

"Am I?" he shouted, turning back to her.

"Knuckles… I love you… I would never take anything from you… I didn't even know the Master Emerald was shattered until you just said so… you never told me… Knuckles… I don't have them… you have to believe me…!"

"I don't know what I can believe anymore…" he said softly. "What I do know," he continued coldly again, "is that I can't be involved with a jewel thief like you."

Rouge took hold of Knuckles hands while the aquamarine coloured hedgehog stood waiting patiently (impatiently?). "Knuckles… please…" she pleaded while tears streamed down her cheeks. Knuckles pulled away from her grasp.

"I don't want to hear anything else from you!" he told her, walking towards the exit.

She reached in his direction, disregarding the sheets falling from around her, and screamed, "Knuckles!" while Aqua turned away and muttered something about indecency.

***

Hershey found her way into the ladies' washroom and broke out into a new round of sobs. She didn't notice when Amy made her way in after her. She saw her and immediately went to the feline's side.

"Hershey! What's wrong?" she asked rubbing Hershey's back.

"Oh, Amy… I wish I could tell you…" she managed between sobs. "I can't tell anyone…"

"Well, you can tell me anything," Amy replied, giving her a sincere smile. Hershey gave a small smile back. She was about to start when she heard shouting from outside and saw someone burst through the door. Hershey saw who it was and lurched back in fear.

"Geoffrey, no! Leave me alone!" she screamed, her voice wavering.

Geoffrey, who was steaming like a kettle, and breathing heavy like he just finished a marathon, was who stormed in, wielding a laser blaster.

"Give me what I want, you feline witch, or you shall regret it!" he growled.

Amy, also getting angry at Geoffrey's disturbance and presence, stepped in front of a terrified Hershey and pulled out her golden hammer, ready to smash him at any attempt to advance.

"If you want to get to her, you have to go through me first!" she sneered.

"Suit yourself." He rose up the laser cannon. Amy charged forward with her hammer brandished overhead.

***

"I'll give you ten minutes to get decent so we can leave, Rouge," Aqua told her, still looking away from her bare figure.

"Sorry," she sniffled, still wiping her eyes, "but I'll have to take a rain check on that date. There are still things I have to take care of."

"What?" he exclaimed turning back to her direction. Before he could react, she jumped in the air, and performed a drill claw into the ground and was gone. Aqua ran up to the whole she escaped in. "Rouge!" he screamed. He sat on the bed among her clothing and grumbled to himself. "This close… I was this close…! Keep running Rouge… I'll catch you yet…"

**Chibi-Akuji: [sighs] if you're wondering why my story seems so negative this chapter… I just got in a big fight with my mom, and as a repercussion, I can't use the computer or nothing, so I keep my laptop at work to write with, and I'm not in the best of moods. I'll try to start off on a good note next story. I can't promise… but I can try… ^^; Also, if you have already played Sonic Adventure 2, and saw the bad blood between Rouge and Knuckles, this is my own kind of tie in as to why they don't like each other. I hope you like it… ^^; and the game too! ^_^ Be seeing ya!**


	4. Eternal Conflicts

**The Trouble with Amy…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, the movie, or anything else that may be related. Sonic, Sega, and all related material, belong to Sega Corporation. The only one of my creation is the aquatic, water lovin' Aqua the Hedgehog.

**Authors Note: **Sorry it look me so long to get this one posted...of course ff.net crashing didn't help much either, so finally, here it is! I know this chapter is kind of short, but if you read it, you'll find out it speaks for itself. ^_^ Enjoy!

**Eternal Conflicts **

The throne. The most powerful seat in the world, in all of the land. People's lives, cities, countries, were made and broken by the one to sit in it. The strong seat to accommodate the strong ruler. Prince Elias. The son of King Max, the king who single handedly fought against Robotnik and his forces…and won! The king who, in a recent battle with Robotnik's newly reformed forces, became paralyzed, having to pass the mantle on to his son. Prince Elias. Reluctantly, the prince rose to the occasion…although he thought that his sister was more suitable for the job. In fact, he was in with his sister, discussing one of his royal decisions. The instating of Geoffrey St. Jean as his vizier. Having heard of his history, his tendencies, and his recent actions against her right hand armament, she took it into account to talk Elias into firing him, or getting him some treatment for his twisted ways. She could and would not tolerate him, and wanted something done immediately, for the sake of Hershey…and if it came to that, herself. There was no guarantee that, with her higher stature, she wouldn't be his next target. That's what bothered her most, possibly even more than Hershey's vulnerable state at the moment.

But all this was happening in another room. Currently, all occupying the throne room were Tails, Hershey who made a stop at the little ladies' room, Amy, who went after her, and Sonic, who wanted to see what it felt to be on the throne, looking down at the world. Tails expressed his concern about him being caught on the throne by one of the family, but Sonic being the confident hedgehog he was, didn't pay him any mind.

"C'mon, Sonic," Tails pressed. "Someone's going to catch you…"

"Pbbbt. yeah, right, Tails," he replied smugly. "Like anyone can catch me. What I'm more concerned about is why it's taking Amy so long to come out with Hershey."

***

Meanwhile…in the bathroom…maelstrom! Laser fire and hammer swings were pretty much tearing up what used to be a bathroom. Geoffrey pressed the attack on the two vixens, creating cover fire over their heads, as they were able to retreat into some stalls. It didn't give much cover for too long as the laser fire started break through. When he approached the stall belonging to Amy, she charged him with her hammer, allowing it to disarm him, as he got furious. He jumped her, pinning her to the ground, while grappling for the hammer. Having the advantage, he was able to press the handle towards her neck, soon to squeeze the air from her…until Hershey jumped **him.**The force of her pounced slid them into the wall under the countertop, where she instinctively reached for his throat. He struggled for a few moments before he was able to kick her into the underside of the countertop. She crumpled to the floor next to him and he kicked her away getting up from his spot.

***

"Elias…we have to talk."

Elias looked at Sally apprehensively. He had to wonder what could possibly have gotten her so worked up. She stormed in with Hershey, and they both looked steamed. He had no idea what was going on, but it looked as if Sally was about to answer his questions.

"What about?" he asked inquisitively.

"St. Jean."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong with Geoffrey?"

"That's the thing…what's not wrong with Geoffrey? He's been nothing but trouble ever since he became Chief of Security, and he's been abusing his power. Soon enough, he will probably manipulate you to turn against me."

"What makes you think that he will turn me against you?"

"Haven't you seen the way he looks at me? Ever since we were kids, he's never liked me. Why would he like me now?"

"He doesn't have a choice. If I tell him otherwise, he must obey…"

"Brother…that's besides the point," she complained, placing her hand on his shoulder. The point is I have a feeling that he is plotting against me."

"Trust me. It will not happen while he's still under my influence. Now what is this about abusing his power?"

"He's pushing his subordinates way too much, and making them do unnecessary and unruly things."

"As in…?"

"Elias…he raped Hershey."

Elias stepped back, awestruck. "What?!"

"It's been happening regularly. Ever since we got the Sword of Acorns back and daddy became paralyzed. She told me not too long ago. She told me she tried approaching me before but she was too scared to do so. Geoffrey threatened her. She didn't know what to do, so she finally came to me."  
"Why didn't she come to me with this?"

"You're better asking her that for yourself. But, for one, she doesn't know you like she knows me. She doesn't feel as comfortable around you. And I think that she thought that you wouldn't believe her."

"I have no reason to not believer her," he replied defensively.

"Well, you having Geoffrey as you vizier should make her think so. Here," she said extending a hand. "It would be better if you experience firsthand what she has been going through. Lets go meet Hershey."

***

Angered and saddened by Knuckles actions, Rouge the bat flew over Mobius, not knowing what she should do or where she should go. Never has she been denied anything she wanted. Never had she been treated so badly. Never had she been so insulted…okay…maybe she didn't feel insulted, but she did feel heartbroken. Knuckles…the jewel of her heart…the only jewel she ever wanted…and needed. Never had she let her heart roam. Not any other furry had ever caught her eye. It was Knuckles' mysterious personality that caught her attention. A lone shark…destined to guard the master emerald the rest of his days. He kept only a few friends, and from what she had heard, he never followed his heart when it came to love either. He had a strong heart…but unfortunately for him **and** her, he had it broken, all because of some false educations by a mysterious hedgehog that claimed that she stole a chaos emerald. Of course it wasn't true that she stole it, but the damage was done. She didn't know if the master emerald was stolen before, but Knuckles believed that she was guilty and doesn't wasn't anything to do with her. He believed that she stole some of the shattered pieces of the Master Emerald. Problem was, she didn't know it was shattered until he told her.

"But why did he have to push me away like that…?" she whimpered, wiping her eyes. "Why couldn't he believe me?"

She knew what she was going to do. She was going to find Knuckles and talk to him, explain to him that he was wrong, whether he liked to or not. Of course she didn't know where to start, so it was going to take awhile. She didn't care. She needed him. She wanted him. She had to have him.

Unknown to her was an assailant following close behind. He spotted her a while back and was determined to take her in for what she was accused for. His eyes kept skyward, not to lose sight of her as he ran at supersonic speeds. He could have easily gained on her, but he didn't want to reveal himself prematurely. He would wait and see where she took him. It was then she decided to take a flight course over the lake. Aqua just grinned. He wasn't going to go around, no. Not that it wasn't he could get around before she flew off…he wanted to go through the middle. That's where his name Aqua came in. He turned the direction where she started flying and continued over the surface of the water with ease. But this is not what he had planned either. Without warning, he submerged…and swam, taking off like a rocket.

"Keep going Rouge…I'll get you **and** your stolen gems soon enough!"

***

Much to Geoffrey's surprise and demise, Amy came at him, hammer brandished overhead, ready to smash him. She jumped through the air; hammer stretched back behind her head, and was unfortunate to meet up with his foot, which he extended in front of himself. Amy lay on the floor holding her stomach as Geoffrey headed for his laser gun. The gun was at his feet and was about to pick it up, when a flurry of laser fire rained down from behind. Hershey, finally remembering who she was, took out her own gun and started firing on him. Trouble was, she forgot who she was, and the requirements for what she did. As a guard at Castle Acorn, ones armament had to be set on the lowest setting (stun) while walking around the castle. It didn't say much for the attack she was pressing on Geoffrey. He picked up his own cannon and shot her own out of her hand, who fell back on her rump from shock. He advanced.

"How convenient that you should forget to set the level on your laser cannon," he spoke sinisterly. "How unfortunate. I see you were capable of sending word to Elias of my actions. All the better, because you won't stop me from doing what I'm about to do now!" He rises up his gun, pointing it to a wide-eyed Hershey. "If I can't have you…no one will!"

Hershey squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable zing and sharp pain from a fully charged laser blast. Shockingly, it didn't come. Instead there was the sound of the shot being fired, the crying out of a person in pain and the clanging of a hammer, followed by the sound of the bathroom door being quickly thumped open. Hershey quickly opened her eyes. Amy stood in front of her, hammer by her side, breathing heavy and staring where she sent Geoffrey through the door with her hammer. And by the sounds of it, she also took the bullet meant for her.

"Amy…?" she asked shakily.

Amy collapsed to her knees and looked over at Hershey through partially closed eyes. "Hershey…are you okay…* "

Amy collapsed completely. Hershey gasped and covered her mouth, and then rushed to her side.

"AMY!"

***

"As long as you're up there, Sonic," Tails started, "what does it feel like…?"

Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. Feels like any other chair ya sit on. I don't know what's so big about it…"

The two's attention was directed elsewhere as they heard the door to the ladies' room being busted open. Sonic, not knowing or caring who it was at the moment was immediately standing below the throne.

"_See…?_" he whispered confidently. "_Told ya I couldn't be caught!_"

Tails smirked, then observed it to be Geoffrey making his way from the bathroom like a bat out of hell. Not just that, he also looked like he was ravaged. His uniform was torn and tattered, while his gun was drawn and moving like he ad just been discovered by enemy lines. Sonic and Tails looked at each other then back at him as he continued on his way, not even noticing the two of them.

"Yo, Geoffrey! What's up?" Sonic called.

Geoffrey jumped about half a kilometre into the air at the sound of his name. Then, without thinking, turned and fired a shot in their direction. Thanks to his gift of super speed, Sonic was able to dodge the laser shot, which put a hole in the throne. Geoffrey then broke into a run. Tails observed the damage to the royal chair as Sonic stared Geoffrey down.

"This…does **not **look good…" Tails informed.

"Forget about that…what has gotten into that guy?!"

It was then that they became aware of the cries for help coming from the ladies' room. Wasting no time, Sonic blazed over towards the door and cautiously knocked on it. Tails landed next to him.

"Everyone decent in there?" he asked.

"Yes, Sonic," Hershey screamed panicky. "Quick! I need your help!"

"With what?" he asked walking in.

When he did so, he was instantly mortified. Tails followed him in and when he saw what he did, all the colour drained from his face. The bathroom resembled a battlefield, with she and Amy in the middle of it. She was holding Amy's head in her lap…and Amy was lying in a pool of blood.

"**AMY!**" the two screamed out simultaneously.

DarkGatomon2k1: See? I told ya it was short... --; But i will try to make up for it next chapter, okay? Ja ne! ^_^ 


	5. That's Gotta Hurt!

**The Trouble with Amy… **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, the movie, or anything else that may be related. Sonic, Sega, and all related material, belong to Sega Corporation. The only one of my creation is the aquatic, water lovin', Aqua the Hedgehog.

**Chapter 5: That's Gotta Hurt **

How would you feel if you were in love? Picture yourself like this. Now picture yourself with the one of your dreams. Now imagine the relationship being broken off, due to a rumor that was able to break the trust in between the two of you. Now picture the white furred, jewel aficionado named Rouge the Bat. Put aside the tough girl attitude and think of how she feels at this very moment. It is as if her world is caving in. She feels as if she cannot continue. She is in the worst possible position she thought possible.

Rouge continued to fly over and out of the city before making way over the Great Forest. Unbeknownst to her was a hedgehog that had been on her tail the entire time she was in the air. It was after she passed the great lake in the forest that she noticed him. Thinking of the circumstances she figured it could only be one person…the aquamarine furred hedgehog who had been tailing her in connection with the theft of a Chaos Emerald. Of course she hadn't stolen anything in her life…the jewels she possessed just happened to be where she went…not that it had mattered now. Her heart was stolen from her a while ago. Although she had heard of the mystical powers of the Chaos Emeralds, its ability to alter and enhance any furry they came into contact with, she didn't want anything to do with them, the number one reason being…she was afraid of them. She wasn't afraid of the power, nor the enhancing abilities. It was the question of, when transformed, if her sense of self would still be intact. She had heard of the famous times Sonic had turned golden and **beyond **golden, taking on different levels of power when the occasion arose; she knew this via the stories Knuckles told her. She was told that there were times when Super Sonic seemed to have lost his personality and sense of self before, and she didn't want it to happen to her, then possibly not get them back.

But it didn't matter. All of that didn't matter, because she had lost the one she loved. Knuckles. He was the key to it all. He was the one who told her the stories and all. He was the one who had made her become aware of things that she wasn't aware of beforehand. He was the one that made everything click…that made her click. It was possible that, if he suspected her of wanting to go after the Chaos Emeralds, wanted her to be careful, not that he was encouraging her to do so, or that he would even allow it. So it might have been possible that he didn't really trust her, even back then…but why would Knuckles string her along for so long if he didn't trust her…?

* * *

"Amy…" Tails cried, near tears.

Sonic knelt over bleeding and unconscious Amy to see if there was anything he could do. She lay there sprawled out on the floor flowing her natural crimson fluids as Hershey tried desperately to press the wound to keep it from flowing. But it refused to cooperate and continued to flow. She had torn off most of her tunic to use as a press, but it failed to help. Having it be a laser shot and not a revolver there was no bullet to help obstruct the blood flow; the blast went clean through her body and was bleeding from both ends. They were mortified when Amy gained partial consciousness, coughed and made blood splash out faster. Hershey watched as Tails slumped to the ground. It looked as if he was about to cry.

_ But why?_ she wondered.

"We have to get her to Bookshire," Sonic announced.

"I'll take her," Tails offered.

"No can do bud, Amy needs to get to the doctor, like, yesterday!" he reasoned. "I'll take her. I'll get there in no time."

"But is she stable enough to go into super speed, Sonic?" Hershey worried.

"We don't have a choice, Hershey," Sonic reasoned, turning to her. "She's running out of time and won't make it if Tails flies her."

Tails sighed, but acknowledged. After Hershey did her best to bandage Amy up, Sonic took her up in his arms. Without looking back, Sonic blazed out of the castle and headed for Knothole. Having no rings to control the direction, Sonic would not risk a light speed dash. Also not having a ring in his possession was restricting his top speed. But he pushed. Hard. He was not going to let her die. He was at his limit and wanted more, but it just wouldn't come. He looked down on Amy, who had slipped out of consciousness again. It wasn't that he didn't like her. Yeah, she was fun to have around. The way she chased him around…it could be annoying at times, but he also found it charming, entertaining. She never seemed to mind the way he teased her about the way she acted around him…it was all just a big joke…well, the time to be serious was now. He had to get her to the hospital.

"S-Sonic…?"

"Huh?" Sonic stumbled, being jarred from his thoughts.

"I k-knew you w-would s-save me…"

Amy slipped back into unconsciousness. This time it looked as if she wasn't coming out of it. The last straw. Something clicked. His limits were snapped…his restrictions unaccountable…he surged forward. Tails, with Hershey in tow, had managed to catch up with Sonic, but now he was just out of sight. All he left for his two-tailed friend was a sonic boom.

* * *

Knuckles wandered around the beach at the East Coast Hotel resort, thinking. He soon found a lone boardwalk leading out to the water, and wandered to the edge of it, sitting down at its end. He wasn't in the best of moods. He just now realized how bad he had acted. Well, naturally he would not care about the way he treated Amy, but to blow off Rouge like that…with no legitimate grounds. When that aquamarine coloured hedgehog came looking for her in her cave, he was so quick to believe that she had stolen what she had been accused of stealing. But then again he had all the reason to act the way he did…the Master Emerald was yet to be completed…and the possibility **was **there for her to have the remaining pieces of the emerald. It was just that when Aqua came to talk, and he heard that she was wanted for jewel theft, his logic was clouded as his thoughts and emotions boiled over and took place.

He would look for her. Apologize to her. Ask for her forgiveness. Throw away his integrity just to subsist on better terms with her. After all, she was his first and only true love. Even that one time he was to be betrothed to the princess of the Acorn family…true love wasn't there, it was more like forced love, and neither him nor the princess would have that. Rouge had not broken his heart in any conceivable way; his heart was stubborn, that's all. And he was just realizing it; he had made Rouge suffer unnecessary heartbreak. He stood up. No longer…he loved her…and she loved him. That's what truly mattered. He headed back to the hotel and planned his trip back to the Great Forest. He didn't really feel like taking the taxi back, so he decided to walk there, to even further gather his thoughts. He might even check up on the rest of his friends while he was at it, maybe even—he cringed—Amy…

He exited the city and was on the outskirts, traveling in the direction of Knothole, but something continued to bother him. It was Rouge. He loved her and all, and she loved him…oh how she loved him…but there was one thing about her that wouldn't exit his mind. She was a jewel aficionado…a jewel hunter; it was as if she was captivated by it. What he couldn't shake form his mind was, what if he really couldn't trust her around the Master Emerald? What if her devotion got the better of her? Knuckles continued to walk on, as uneasiness crept into his mind.

* * *

Rouge circled around the big lake a few times, looking at its cool blue serenity. She observed how perfectly placed the body of water was, immediately in the middle of an inviting clearing in the heart of the Great Forest. She had not become aware of her surveillance, as Aqua was in the bushes watching her from below. He was wondering why she was not still flying off from the city. He was soon to get his answer as he continued to watch. Rouge circled one more time and sighed, as Aqua saw the forlorn expression on her face. She then flew to higher altitude and hovered above for a while. Aqua's eyes opened wide as she did the unthinkable; Rouge let herself fall back and was in a nosedive, plummeting for the lake. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, leaving no doubt in Aqua's mind what she was trying to do. He jumped out from behind the bushes and tried to wave her down.

"Rouge!" he screamed. "Stop!"

She did not listen as she disappeared under the waters surface. Aqua rushed to the waters edge to see if he could spot which direction she headed. After failing, he took a few steps backward and ran to the waters edge. He springboarded and dove deep into the lake. He spent a good part of two minutes searching underwater for her and came up with nothing. He resurfaced for air and dove again. This time he went deeper, attempting to use his speed to his advantage. Again he came back empty handed. Determined, he dove one final time, going subsonic and reaching the bottom of the lake. There he found an unconscious Rouge, lying amongst the seaweed and silt. He quickly grabbed hold of her and shot towards the surface. He was traveling fast enough to shoot out of the water and land on the shore with her. Having been trained in first aid, he started to perform CPR on her. He gritted his teeth as he continued to pump above her heart.

* * *

"Unhand me, you brazen thugs!"

Bookshire looked out of the clinics front doors at the squirmish occurring outdoors. For some reason, Geoffrey St. Jean was being carted away by the palace guards. He watched curiously and bewilderedly as he was being taken towards the town jail. There must have surely been something wrong if they were carting him away. Just then a nurse came up from behind.

"Doctor?" she intruded.

"Yes…?" he replied.

"The patients are waiting…"

"Very well…tell them that I'll be right—"

"Bookshire!" boomed a voice from outside.

He turned to see where the voice came from and found Sonic screeching to a halt in front of the clinic with someone in his arms. After the dust settled he was able to distinguish that it was another hedgehog, with pinkish fur, and tattered torn clothes.

"Amy…?"

Sonic stepped up and placed Amy on an empty stretched that a nurse conveniently happened to be pushing by. Bookshire came to her side and started to roll her into the clinic. Sonic joined him as they rushed up the halls.

"Sonic, what has happened to her?" he pressed.

Sonic got a frown on his face. "She was shot. At the palace."

"Shot?" he took in the information. "At the palace? Who was the culprit?"

"It was St. Jean!" Sonic gritted his teeth at the sound of himself saying his name.

Bookshire gasped at the account Sonic had just told him. Now it all made sense. Geoffrey had shot Amy while at the palace and the guards arrested him on the spot. That's when he saw them carting him off to jail. He then turned to the nurse who was trailing them.

"Nurse…send my regards to the patients. Have them see other doctors in the facility or reschedule; whichever is more convenient for them. I have to tend to this girl. She is in very rough shape."

"Yes, doctor."

Bookshire wheeled Amy into the emergency ward of the clinic and headed for the operating room. Sadly, he had to tell Sonic that he had to wait in the waiting room until he was done. Sonic frowned but complied. After about twenty minutes, Hershey rushed in with Tails, who looked quite tired out from flying the whole way. He collapsed in a chair while Hershey approached Sonic.

"Sonic…how is she?" she asked, growing more and more concerned.

"I don't know. She went in about twenty minutes ago. All we can do now is wait…"

* * *

Knuckles continued to walk through the Great Forest. While he walked, he rethought the position he was in. Right at that moment, pretty much everyone was upset with him. All because of what he had done to Amy. He didn't really mean to break her spirit and blow her off like that, but it was like every time she was around, a feeling came over him and he reacted to it. Of course, previously having a crush on her would have a contribution to his actions, but it could be ruled out. Maybe Hershey was right…maybe he was jealous of Sonic for all the attention that Amy was giving him. Possibly what made it worse was the fact that Sonic wouldn't even give her the time of day…just like she wouldn't give Knuckles the time of day, when he first had a crush on her.

He had long since gotten over her, but for some reason, whenever she was around, he got this strange feeling, an that's what usually made him act so bullyish. And it was exactly this bullyish behaviour that got him into trouble. Hopefully he would find a way to apologize to the whole of them. Then there was Rouge. Knuckles was always so quick to anger, so quick to accuse, Rouge's case was no different…and it wasn't even him who primarily accused her. He was going to have to find a way to apologize to her also. Hopefully she hadn't done anything too brash by then.

Knuckles was in such a rush and so deep in thought, he didn't even notice when he almost ran somebody over.

"Ow! Knuckles…!" the person whined.

Knuckles snapped out of his trance and searched around, finding whom it was that was talking to him.

"Huh? Oh…sorry, Mina," he offered, extending his hand to the downed mongoose.

She gladly took it and accepted his help on getting up. "It's okay. You wouldn't happen to have seen Sonic, would you?"

"Not since yesterday, why?" he wondered.

"Well, he's been tutoring me lately, on how to control my speed. Its kind of hard to adjust to, ya know?"

"I couldn't imagine," he sighed, starting to walk. She joined him. "It must be remarkable to have such a gift as super speed. It would be nice to experience it just once."

"Well, once you get the hang of it, it's the best. But haven't you already experienced super speed? I heard from Sonic that you once harnessed the power of the Chaos Emeralds and was able to transform into hyper. Didn't you have super speed then?"

"Yeah," he frowned, "but it's not the same. That wasn't natural. To have a natural talent for running would be an honor. The freedom to blaze around at will…now that's something to wish for."

The two walked in silence for a while afterwards, each enjoying the other's company. Knuckles at least found it as somewhat of a change. He had been going out with Rouge only for a short while, but just walking with a friend…that was totally different, finding it a lot more relaxing. Other than Rouge, he usually just went around alone as usual. Even when he befriended Sonic and the others, he still stayed off alone, not making himself a complication to others. They had become accustomed to his mysterious ways and had grown to accept and give him his space. All in all, they have always been his best friends…although he won't and probably never will admit it to them, plus it was better this way…keep them guessing. Knuckles smiled to himself, soon to be broken as he snapped back to reality.

"Yoo-hoo! Earth to Knuckles…are you with us Knuckles?"

Mina waved her hand in front of Knuckles eyes trying to catch his attention. He finally came back to her and gave her his full attention.

"Jeez, Knuckles…what planet were you on…?" she teased.

Knuckles only shook his head. "I was just thinking of something…"

"Really?" she pressed. "What about?"

"Nothing interesting…just about my friends and all…"

* * *

Aqua continued to struggle with the unresponsive batgirl. It was like she refused to come out of her unconscious state. He continued to perform CPR and she continued to struggle against his efforts. After about two minutes she coughed and sputtered out water. It seemed like forever to the hedgehog. She sat up and rubbed her head, but he pushed her back down. She looked at him funny.

"Don't get up…you need to rest," he said.

"Why did you save me…?" she asked flatly.

"Whatever it is you're going through," he replied, "suicide is not the answer."

She hung her head down. The scene played back over in her head. She and Knuckles just finished having some quality time together. Then the same hedgehog in front of her barges in and says that she is accused of stealing the Chaos Emerald. Knuckles immediately thinks its true and pushes her away.

"I don't know what I can believe anymore…" he said softly. "What I do know," he continued coldly again, "is that I can't be involved with a jewel thief like you."

She was crushed by his words and didn't know what else to do. She eyed the Aqua coloured hedgehog again. He was going through the pockets of the jacket he was wearing. First thing that went through her mind was that he was reaching for some kind of handcuffs or something, so he could take her away. Not that it mattered anymore…she didn't think there was anything left for her, so she wasn't going to fight. An eyebrow was arched as she saw what he brought out…it looked like a towel…? Aqua noticed the expression on her face and answered her unasked question.

"A towel," he explained, raising the garment. "To dry you off. It makes it easier for me to take you to the medics."

"The medics…?" she managed.

"Well, it's just to get you checked up, make sure you're all right."

"But…"

"Nope. No buts. Its not everyday someone's brought back to life after being underwater for so long. Now, come. WE have a while to travel," he retorted, taking her up and carrying her in his arms.

"But…"

"Conserve your strength," he hushed her.

Before she could object anymore, he was off, leaving their area in a cloud of dust.

* * *

"Sonic!" a familiar voice called out from down the hall of the medical ward.

"Sal!" Sonic turned to find his lifelong friend running towards him, with her brother in tow behind her.

"How is she? We got here as soon as we heard. Is she going to be all right?"

Sonic hung his head and shook it. "She's still in the operating room, I don't know what will happen. Things aren't looking good."

Sally sat next to him amongst the rest of them, which was followed by a short period of silence. Sally was debating whether she should ask the question she was thinking about. She already had the answer, but she didn't want to make any decisions without the others approval. She looked around the waiting room and found most of her friends staring at their shoes. She finally sighed and turned to Sonic.

"Do you suppose we should tell Knuckles…?"

Sonic frowned slightly. "Do you think that he would even care?" he asked recalling the previous day.

She thought for a moment. "Well, he does have a right to know…" she reasoned.

"Ol' Redlocks can do whatever he wants for all I care," he tussled.

"But Sonic…he's your friend…"

"Some friend he is!" Sonic exclaimed, raising his voice and drawing the attention of a few people in the room. "Anyone who treats Amy like that is no friend of mine!"

"Sonic," sally tilted her head slightly, "he has his reasons for acting the way he did."

"Don't butter me up, Sal. He never told me what the reason was, so he didn't have any right!"

"Sonic," she returned quietly, trying to get him to lower his voice, "I'm sure that Knuckles has taken time to think and is sorry for about what he did. You're overreacting."

"Who's overreacting?" he countered. "Wait and see. I bet you that he doesn't even show up here. Then we'll see if I'm overreacting or not."

* * *

"So, Knuckles…do you have a girlfriend?" Mina intruded.

Knuckles frowned. This was the absolute worst time to ask that question. He thought back to the fight he had with Rouge. She was the only one on his mind; he couldn't shake her, or what he said to her. It kept playing in his mind. He couldn't shake it. He was to be forever tormented with it…or at least until he found her and apologized. Which he was now planning to do. Okay…wake up Knuckles!

"Knuckles…!" Mina whined. She pouted. "Are you ignoring me?"

"Huh?" Knuckles snapped out of his trance. "Oh…no, I'm not, really! I was just thinking again…"

Mina arched an eyebrow. "Wow…what has you thinking so much?" She then got a sly grin. "Or who, for that matter."

Knuckles silently gasped as utter shock crossed him, that Mina could read him like a book. He eyed her suspiciously, but would comply with her question.

"Well, yes and no would be the answer to your first question, and it was her I was thinking of would be the second one."

Now both of Mina's eyebrows rose. "Yes and no?"

"It's kind of a long story…I'll try to shorten it for you."

"Okay."

"Well, we have been going out for quite some time now. I won't bore you with the details of how and where we met, but I will say that it was unique. Anyhow, up until yesterday we were content. That was until some strange hedgehog approached us and accused Rouge of being the robber of a Chaos Emerald."

"How awful," Mina retorted, picturing the story in her mind.

"That's not even the half of it. Stupid me believe the hedgehog and thinks she's guilty. Also, I think…I said a few things that I shouldn't have."

"Knuckles…how could you…" Mina stated in a half accusing, half despairing voice.

"I know, I know…I don't know what came over me. But you do have to understand; I'm still looking for shattered pieces of the Master Emerald, and her being a jewel aficionado, the possibility is always there that she might have some pieces. They could be anywhere, and anyone can have them."

"Well, that's understandable," Mina mused, "but you really should have talked to her about it before you accused her."

Knuckles sighed. "I know. That's why I'm headed to Knothole; I might be able to find her there and apologize."

"Well, the best of luck to the both of you. Now…is there any chance of you showing me some of your flying skills?" she smiled.

"Sure," he grinned. " Are you sure you can keep up on foot?"

"Just watch me!" she challenged.

* * *

The half orange, half gunmetal rabbit straggled around the outskirts of the Great Forest, irritated. She was looking for someone, more like waiting, and he failed to bless her with his presence. She sighed irritably and walked back towards the main path comeing out of the forest. She knew it would probably be best if she was back at the medical centre to give emotional support for Amy, but who she was looking for should also be there…and if he didn't arrive soon, she was going to hunt him down like a dog and drag him kicking and screaming to her bedside. Okay…maybe she was exaggerating a bit; she wasn't really that angry at him, it was just that the words he used on Amy burnt her heart, and she couldn't stand seeing the normally flamboyant radiant Amy so down and glum.

Bunnie was about to go airborne when she spotted two figures far down the path approaching the village. She ran up to them in anticipation, hoping and wishing that it was Knuckles, but at the same time hoping it wasn't…because she was about o take him by a dreadlock and drag him all the way to the hospital. Knuckles, surprised by her arrival, stopped in mid sentence while talking to Mina, to be interrogated by Bunnie.

"Knuckles!" she fumed, although she wasn't really that angry. "Where have ya been, mistah? We've been looking all over for ya!"

"I've been around, Bunnie," he replied plainly. "It's not like you guys missed me or anything."

"What are ya talking about? Amy is hurt! She needs us right now!"

_ Oh yeah…Amy…_ he thought.

He frowned on the sound of Amy's name; he guessed he wasn't really over what happened the previous day.

"I doubt that Amy needs **my** sympathy," he stated quietly, casting his eyes on the ground.

Bunnie twinged a bit, as if she felt pain. She then sprang forward and grabbed Knuckles by a dreadlock in her robotic hand. She then continued to drag him in the direction of the hospital. Mina was surprised, but didn't intervene; Knuckles had obviously missed something important and she wasn't going to keep him from it on her account.

"Oh, no you don't, mistah! Yer not leaving Amy and us again! Ah've been waiting all afternoon fer ya to show up and ah'm not letting ya leave until ya at least visit her!"

"Ow!" Knuckles griped. "Hey, Bunnie…! Let go! Ow! C'mon! OW!"

* * *

"Sonic," Hershey complained, "if you pace any more you're going to burn a hole in the floor. Sit down, would ya?"

Just then, Bookshire came out from the staff area and Sonic was instantly on him, even before everyone had the chance to even turn and look at him. Sonic was instantly a flurry of questions.

"Doc! Is she okay? Is she going to be all right? Is she awake?? Can we see her???"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, son. I'll explain everything. She is going to be fine. Lucky for her, no vital organs were hit when she was shot, and having it be a laser charge, there was no need for extra surgery to remove the bullet. Also, remarkably, she has already awoken and is asking for you guys. You can go see her now, but remember that she has lost quite a bit of blood, so she's on an IV and might be a bit drowsy, so don't spend too long in with her. She's in room D-103."

A faint "Thanks!" could be heard from down the hall as Sonic blasted away. 

Tails groaned with frustration. "Couldn't he at least waited for the rest of us…"

* * *

"Thanks, you guys, for being here for me…it means a lot to me," Amy smiled.

"You wouldn't even have to ask us, Ames," Sonic told her.

"I know I don't know you guys very well, seeing how we've only met yesterday, but it's great to know that someone cares for you, you know?"

"Don't you worry, Amy," Sally told her. "We're all friends here, and that's what friends are for."

They all watched as Amy shifted in her seat and as her eyes started to water. She didn't look too happy. They didn't understand, she just said she was happy to have them around as friends and happy that they were there for her, so why did it look as if she were about to cry. As they watched, they were soon to get their answer.

"Amy," Sonic started. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Sonic," she said quietly, sniffling.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for getting in trouble again…I didn't mean for you to have to take me to the hospital today…its just that when Geoffrey came to attack Hershey earlier, I felt that I had to take him down to save her. It was going good…and that's when he hit me with his gun…"

She started to sob silently while Sonic consoled her. "Hey…it wasn't your fault that St. Jean shot at you. He's just doesn't have it all up there. And besides, who wouldn't want to come to the rescue of such a cute face. I know that I don't really show it much, but I sort of enjoy rescuing you; gives me something to do. Besides, I love the action I get when running from Robuttnik's clunkers after I save ya."

Amy remained unfazed by Sonic's words. "That's nice of you to say Sonic, but it seems lately as though I get into more trouble than usual." Amy paused long enough to make a big sigh. "Maybe Knuckles was right…maybe I am just a trouble maker…"

Everyone in the room was shocked and taken aback by Amy's words; even more so for what was to happen next.

"It's not true…" a voice started.

All turned to the doorway where the voice came from and mixed expressions. Except for Sonic, Tails, Hershey and the one behind the one at the door, who wore frowns, the others were in a state of shock.

"Knuckles?!" managed to escape everyone's mouth.

"Amy, I…"

Before he could finish, a commotion behind him caught attention. What he found was the same Aqua coloured hedgehog from the other day, carrying someone in his arms. Just to add to the confusion and shock, who else would it be in his arms? None other than…

"Rouge!" Knuckles barked out.

…of course.

Chibi-Akuji: [wipes forehead] Whew! That took loooooong… ú_ù; Gomen ne…I'm so sorry guys. I didn't mean for you to wait so long, but so many things happened since I started this. ń_n;; But the show…anou…story must go on, and on it shall go. ^_^ Be seeing ya!


End file.
